Peculiar Hogwarts
by 101olive4u
Summary: The characters from MPHFPC are at Hogwarts! Being in different houses and different years, the kids barely know one another until something changes. There's a new and mysterious teacher by the name of Miss Peregrine and she seems to know something that they don't. Follow the magical peculiars as they grow close together and form a special bond. Completely AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody, I'm 101olive4u and I'm pretty new to writing MPHFPC, so I'm pretty nervous but still excited! This is based of the MPHFPC book, not the movie. But someday I may write a story for the movie. Personally, I like the book better so I'm going with that. Like the description said, this is completely AU, set in the Harry Potter world with no Harry Potter. Ages may be slightly off, but otherwise follow the book.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright alright, come along Claire." Enoch O'Connor grumpily dragged his young cousin down the platform away from his father and aunt and uncle. Per request of the adults, Claire was his responsibility on the train.

Claire was terrified, blonde curls swinging back and forth as she clung to Enoch's sleeve with one hand and her trunk with the other. "E-Enoch, I'm scared."

Enoch merely shrugged with a grunt while the pair wove through the crowd of students and parents. He gagged as they passed two Gryffindors being lovey dovey, grumbling about how stupid love was and whatnot.

Enoch lifted his and Claire's trunks into the train. He then boarded the train, swinging Claire up with him.

"Look Claire! Don't they look nice?" Enoch motioned towards a group of first years running past them.

"I-I guess so?" Claire shrugged, eyebrows knit together.

"Great!" Enoch handed the little girl her trunk and gave her a little shove in their direction. "Now go make friends."

"Wait, Enoch! Uncle said that I could sit with y-" Enoch had slipped down the hallway by the time Claire had turned around, leaving her all alone.

* * *

"Nice to see you, Emma" a boy with an American accent and dark hair smiled down at his blonde best friend.

She batted her eyelashes, returning the smile. "You too, Jacob. Thanks for sending me letters."

Jacob ducked his head bashfully. "Sure, no problem."

She took his hands and looked into his eyes. "I'm so sorry to hear about your grandfather. I know he meant the world to you."

Jacob looked down. "Thanks. It was pretty hard dealing with the loss."

"So how was the rest of your summer?" Emma adjusted the collar on her blouse. "You were so vague in your letters, I was beginning to worry."

Jacob frowned. That summer had been terrible for him. His grandfather was dead and his parents thought he was crazy. His dad was a squib and his mother a muggle while he and his grandpa were both wizards, creating tension in the family. So when Abe Portman died, Jacob was left alone with no other magical family. His mother and father had always opposed magic while his grandfather loved it. So spending the summer with his strictly muggle family was utterly terrible. The Portmans took him to therapy classes, trying to suck all the magic out of him. It was torturous.

"Jacob?" Emma put a warm hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Her voice snapped Jacob back to reality. He cleared his mind of the hurtful memories and smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm okay." He looked over Emma's head and suddenly smirked as he saw the missing person in their trio. "I found Hugh."

Emma turned around to where Jacob was looking and giggled.

A group of Hufflepuff girls were standing together on the platform chattering and giggling. One specifically stood out, a seventh year with wild and beautiful curly hair and a winning smile. Hugh stood nearby, looking at the girl with the utmost longing.

Jacob cupped his hands. "Oi, Apiston!" Hugh looked up from his yearning and grinned, giving a jaunty wave before making his way over to his fellow Gryffindors.

Seventh year, extremely handsome and popular, keeper and captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team and house prefect, Hugh Apiston was someone everyone got along with. Girls specifically wanted to get to know him, yet he only had his eye on one girl.

"Well who do we have here?!" Hugh clapped Jacob on the back and gave Emma a hug. "Have a good summer?"

Emma nodded. "Went on holiday to visit my family in France." Emma was part veela with French roots. Tall, blonde and slim, Emma Bloom was vivacious and desired. Her younger sister Julia was the spitting image of her.

"Stayed with my family in America," Jacob answered sulkily.

Hugh, having visited Jacob and his family before, understood completely. He gave Jacob a pitying look. "Sorry mate. I know that must've been hard."

Jacob shrugged. "Just glad to be going back to Hogwarts."

Emma opened her arms. "Aren't we all? Now, come, let's go find a compartment." The boys agreed and they boarded the train with their trunks and pets.

"Hope the trolley comes by soon," Jacob mumbled as the three found an empty compartment and put their bags overhead.

"So Hugh," Emma stroked her owl, "any luck with Fiona?" She asked innocently.

Making Hugh Apiston blush was a hard task to complete, yet Emma managed to succeed in five seconds. "How do you know her name?" He asked suspiciously.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Calm down. She's the seventh year Hufflepuff prefect and as Head Girl, I'm making an effort to know all my prefects this year. I spoke to her earlier today while I was waiting for you goons to show up. She's very nice."

"You didn't make any effort to get to know me," Hugh responded cheekily.

Emma whacked him on the back of his head. "Try seventeen years of knowing you. I don't think I need to make any effort."

"When's the trolley going to show up?" Jacob grumbled impatiently.

Emma laughed. "Silly. The train hasn't even left yet." Right on cue, the train whistled and the Hogwarts Express began to pull away from the station.

"Hm," Jacob smirked.

"Bye mum! By pops! Bye Marcie!" Hugh waved out the window as they passed by Mr. and Mrs. Apiston and Hugh's little sister. "Marcie is coming to Hogwarts next year," he explained proudly.

"Bye Marcie!" Emma and Jacob waved out the window at the little girl who waved back.

"She's such a sweetie," Emma sighed. "I wish she was here and not her brother."

Jacob nodded. "True."

"Oi!"

"Just kidding."

Jacob laughed. "I'm not."

"Everybody knows I'm the best Apiston out there." Hugh puffed out his chest.

"Shut up, Apiston."

* * *

"Really Bronwyn, I'm okay. You can go sit with your friends, I'll be fine here." A sixth year Ravenclaw said, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He was extremely pale, skinny and sickly looking.

His sister, a strong and bulky seventh year Hufflepuff, sat across from him. Her arms and legs were crossed and she had a worried look on her face. "Of course not, Victor. I'm staying with you until we get to Hogwarts. The full moon was last night and I can tell how hard it was on you. The least I can do is sit with you." It brought tears to Bronwyn's eyes, thinking about everything her brother had to go through each month.

Victor crossed his arms and looked away. "It's fine. Just go."

Bronwyn shook her head, leaning forward. "Victor I-"

"JUST GO!" He shouted, anger flashing through his eyes. "Go find your friends and leave me alone! Jesus Bronwyn, I've spent the entire summer with you, you can leave me alone for a couple hours."

Bronwyn quickly stood and collected her belongings from the compartment. She shut the door as quietly as she could, taking a last look at her brother. He was curled up in the corner of the seat, staring out the window.

Ever since her father left when she was a second year, things were tough for the Bruntley family. Then Victor got bitten by a werewolf and Bronwyn's entire world came crashing down.

Shaking off those thoughts, Bronwyn silently made her way down the corridor, finally coming to a stop at one of the compartments.

As she entered, she was met with squeals and choruses of "hellos" as her seventh year Hufflepuff friends got up to give her hugs and greetings.

Bronwyn smiled at all of them, returning their hugs, before sitting next to Fiona.

Fiona smiled and gave her a hug. "How's Victor?" She whispered.

Bronwyn tensed and clutched her tighter. "Terrible."

Fiona squeezed her hand as the two parted and they turned back to the conversation their friends were having as the train rolled on.

* * *

"Ssh," Olive, a second year Ravenclaw with soft brown hair, shushed her friends. The four of them were creeping down the train hallway in search of a specific compartment.

"Where are we going, Olive?" Julia Bloom questioned her best friend curiously.

"I'm looking for the captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team." Olive responded as she peeked through a window. "I need to talk to her immediately."

"Why?" A girl named Sam asked.

"To convince her to let me go to tryouts."

"But aren't tryouts only for third years and up?" Julia asked curiously.

"Yes…" Olive paused. "But I need to be on the team this year! I just have to!"

"You can do it, Olive!" Her friends chorused supportively.

"Here we go!" Olive selected the correct compartment and asserted herself before opening the door and entering cautiously. Her friends did not go with her but crowded near the window supportively.

"Excuse me," Olive cleared her throat. "I'm here to speak to- Millard?"

"Olive?" Millard, a tall and pale boy, looked at his sister. "What are you doing here? I told you not to bother me."

Olive rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to talk to Mona."

A sixth year girl turned around to look at the second year. "Yes?" She asked, clearly surprised.

Olive took a deep breath. "I want to be on the Quidditch team this year."

The older students looked at each other and all burst out laughing except for Millard and Mona.

Olive huffed. "I'm very good on a broom and could make our team win this year. I really could."

Mona shushed the rest of her friends. "Listen kiddo. I'm sure you're a good player for your age, but there's a reason younger kids aren't on the team. What are you, a first year? Second year? The other players are vicious and wouldn't cut you any slack. You'd be knocked off your broom in an instant."

Olive frowned. "No I wouldn't, I'm strong."

"I'm sure you are, but I can't let you on the team. I'm sorry."

"But I-" Olive began to say.

"Leave Olive." Millard instructed his sister firmly. "Go sit with your friends."

Olive glared at her brother. "Don't tell me what to do." She turned to Mona. "I'll see you at quidditch tryouts." And with a purposeful tug at the door handle, she was out of the compartment, collecting her friends and leaving.

"She's right, you know,"Millard calmly told Mona.

"What?"

"She's an amazing quidditch player. She's tiny, lighter than air, and that makes her go crazy fast. You'd be lucky to have her on the team."

This put Mona in a deep concentration. "Maybe I will let her try out. See what she can do."

One of her fifth year friends barked out a laugh. "Are you serious, Mona? A second year on your team? You'd be crazy to let her on."

"Shut it Horace. What do you know about quidditch?"

"Enough to know that a little kid should not be playing with seventh years."

Meanwhile, Olive and her friends pranced back to their compartment, hands held and swinging. "You know what, girls? I think I'm going to be the first second year Ravenclaw to ever be on the team," Olive mused happily. "Now let's go get changed."

* * *

 **Yay! First chapter is complete! I'm honestly so excited for this story and I hope readers are too. I've considered publishing this on Wattpad if people don't like it here on FanFiction, but we'll see.**

 **A couple notes:**

 **1\. Yes, I made Claire and Enoch cousins and Olive and Millard siblings. I think it fits really well and is kinda cute plus this is AU anyway so...**

 **2\. While Horace was in this chapter for only a little bit, I promise he'll be in the story more! I couldn't find any good places to put him in this chapter**

 **3\. I'm going to try and use real names from the book for side characters but there are only so many names. Marcie, Sam and Julia were all names in the book but I made up Mona**

 **4\. I'm sticking pretty closely to their book ages but they aren't perfect**

 **5\. Victor won't be in this very much**

 **Leave a review, follow or favorite if you have the time, I love feedback and it helps me alot! I hope that people like this story as much as I do and I'll try updating soon.**

 **Sorry this is such a long authors note, looks like I had a lot to say**

 **Bye for now!**

 **P.S. Leave a review if you want me to write out a list of the peculiars' houses and ages**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wowza, thank you all so much for your feedback! I'm really glad that people are interested and like this story, I like writing it. I'm not satisfied with this chapter, I didn't have very much time to edit it, but it's a filler chapter and it's as good it's going to get. So here it is!**

 **Here's the list of everybody:**

 **Jacob 7th year Gryffindor, half-blood**

 **Emma 7th year Gryffindor, pureblood**

 **Olive 2nd year Ravenclaw, muggle born**

 **Enoch 4th year Slytherin, pureblood**

 **Millard 6th year Ravenclaw, muggle born**

 **Hugh 7th year Gryffindor, pureblood**

 **Fiona 7th year Hufflepuff, muggle born**

 **Bronwyn 7th year Hufflepuff, half-blood**

 **Victor 6th year Ravenclaw, half-blood**

 **Horace 5th year Ravenclaw, pureblood**

 **Claire, 1st year TBD (it's literally the first sentence of this chapter, lol) pureblood**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Slytherin" the hat shouted as a nervous Claire Densmore was sorted into Slytherin. She frowned slightly. Her entire family were Slytherins, with Death Eater friends and they scared her to death. She didn't want to be a Death Eater or a Slytherin. The older kids stared her down cooly as she timidly approached the table.

"Poor girl," Emma said sadly as she watched as the little girl with the golden curls made her way over to the Slytherin table, sitting next to a sullen looking boy who ignored her. "She doesn't look much like a Slytherin. She looks so scared of all of them."

"Forget about that, I'm starving and we're only on the letter D!" Jacob moaned sadly.

Emma rolled her eyes. "How can you be hungry? You literally bought half of the trolley's candy, I'm surprised you're not sick."

"There's my sister!" Sam whispered to Olive and Julia excitedly from the Ravenclaw table as "Lein, Esme" was called forward.

"Lucky," Julia whispered back. "I always wanted a younger sister. I'm stuck with an annoying older one."

"Older brothers are even worse," Olive added.

"Hufflepuff!" The hat shouted and Esme happily ran to the yellow table where she was greeted with smiles.

"Oh well," Sam shrugged. "I'm sure she'll be happy in Hufflepuff."

Fiona smiled at the little girl that had just seated herself across from her. Something caught her eye. She looked around the first year to see someone staring at her from the Gryffindor table. She blinked, surprised, to see it was her Potions partner from the previous year, Hugh. She gave him a smile and a little wave. His eyebrows shot up, face going beet red, before returning the wave with a goofy smile on his face.

"Ooh, Fee, you've got yourself an admirer," Fiona's friend Imogen giggled, nudging her.

"And a cute one too," her other friend Claudia sighed. "You're so lucky, Fee, all the girls want him."

"Oh hush," Fiona shushed her friends quickly, blushing.

"Aye!" Jacob patted Hugh on the back proudly. "Way to go, Apiston."

"Nice job," Enoch whispered to Claire. "Aunt Edith and Uncle Ezekiel will be proud."

"I guess so," Claire looked down at her empty plate. She was so scared.

"Fair warning, everybody at this table is an asshole. Even the first years." Enoch whispered to her, pretending to be interested as Guadeloupe Santiago became a Gryffindor.

Claire looked shocked for a second, then giggled. "I know," she whispered back. "Everybody but me." Enoch looked pleasantly surprised and smirked at his cousin.

"This one is definitely a Slytherin," Millard told Horace as "Vindicut, Allister" made his way up to the hat.

"Not gonna argue with you on this one," Horace replied as he eyed the snooty first year. Sure enough, the hat bellowed out a "Slytherin!" and the boy, looking pleased, sauntered over to the serpent table.

"You know, I had a dream about the sorting last night," Horace mumbled mysteriously.

"I'm sure you did," Millard rolled his eyes.

Dumbledore clapped his hands and a silence fell over the Great Hall. He opened his arms. "Good evening everyone." He looked tired.

"Are we going to eat soon?" Enoch asked quietly, clearly impatient.

"I'd like you all to meet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher of ours this year. Please help me give a warm welcome to Alma Peregrine!"

Everybody craned their necks to see the new teacher as she made her way next to the headmaster. The woman was elegant and prim, heels clicking up the steps. She accepted Dumbledore's hand.

"Hello, children. It's going to be an interesting year." Alma Peregrine said with an odd smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

"And so the pattern continues, yet another new DADA teacher." Millard mumbled to his friends as the students politely clapped for the new teacher.

Dumbledore gave a strained smile. "And now let's eat!"

Claire gasped in amazement as the tables suddenly were piled with food and great hall filled with the scent. "Wow."

Enoch, in the middle of gnawing at a turkey leg, smirked. "Pretty great, ain't it?" Claire nodded vigorously as she began to load up her plate.

"Is it just me or did Dumbledore act strange up there?" Jacob asked Hugh and Emma as they began serving themselves food.

"I noticed that too," Emma nodded as she poured herself some soup.

"Probably worried about the outbreak of Death Eaters," Hugh said through a mouthful of bread. "It's all adults have been talking about these days."

"And with good reason." Emma frowned. "It's becoming really serious, people are afraid. My mum and dad have friends that aren't sending their kids back to Hogwarts this year because of the danger."

"Yeah. We're missing a significant number of people this year," Jacob nodded.

"Where are Elena and Margo?" Fiona asked Bronwyn, frowning. "I barely got any letters from them this summer. It's like they've disappeared."

"Both of them aren't allowed back at Hogwarts." Bronwyn said sadly.

"By who?" Fiona was shocked.

"Their parents." Imogen said. "They're scared, being half blood and all. Especially with all these attacks happening."

Fiona and Bronwyn shared a scared look. Fiona was a muggleborn and Bronwyn was a half blood. They squeezed each other's hands.

"I'm stuffed," Hugh moaned twenty minutes later.

"You ate seven pieces of bread, butter and honey. And that was just your appetizer, I'm not even going to mention the three other courses you had." Jacob scoffed.

Emma laughed. "Remember in second year when Hugh filed a formal complaint to Dumbledore that there was never any honey at the dinner table?"

Jacob chuckled. "And he was so scared that he made us come with him. Good times."

Hugh shooed small group of annoying second years next to him away from him and laid down on the bench. " I'm so full, I want to go to sleep."

* * *

"I think this will be a fun year," Olive declared happily as she and her friends made their way to the Ravenclaw common room once Dumbledore had dismissed the students.

"Don't get into any trouble this year, Olive," Millard called over his shoulder where he was walking ahead of her with his friends.

Olive stuck her tongue out at him. "Big brother! Leave me alone and let me have fun." Millard made a face at her and turned back to his friends.

The second year Ravenclaw girls squealed as they entered their dorm room, jumping onto the beds.

"We're in the second year dormitories!" Julia exclaimed excitedly.

"We're no longer first years," Sam added smugly.

Olive took her friends' hands. "Girls, it's going to be such a fun year." They nodded excitedly.

"How was your summer, Victor?" Millard asked Victor kindly from the sixth year Ravenclaw dorm room.

Victor shrugged nonchalantly. "Pretty quiet. My family stayed in a cottage in the countryside for most of the holiday."

Millard nodded. "Sounds peaceful. How did you like the book I lent you?"

Victor's dull eyes lit up suddenly. "It was amazing! Here, I have it right here." He dug around in his trunk. "The author's point of view was truly spectacular and the way he wove his voice into it…"

Millard smiled as he listened with full interest to his normally shy and reserved roommate.

* * *

"I really think I like Emma," Jacob fell onto his bed, looking up at the golden and red ceiling. "Our letters over the summer got pretty intimate. And I think she likes me too."

His other friends sniggered. "You and Bloom, huh?" Angus grinned. "I can see that becoming a thing."

"Just don't leave poor Hugh all alone," Ian chastised.

Hugh's head popped up from the other side of his bed where he was sitting on the floor unpacking his belongings. "Yeah! I don't want to be kicked out of our terrific trio just because you and Emmie B are all star crossed and lovey dovey." He shuddered. "Don't turn me into the third wheel."

Kyle grinned at Hugh. "Maybe if you made a move on your girl then you wouldn't feel so left out."

"Ooh," Jacob smirked at Hugh who quickly ducked back behind his bed.

* * *

 **And there you have it! Sorry if there's typos or if you don't like this chapter, I know it was kind of boring. I know these first chapters have been kind of slow, but I feel like the train ride and the feast and sorting and the first day of classes are mandatory parts. So the story will definitely pick up in a couple of chapters, be sure to stick around!**

 **Thanks for reading and please leave a review, favorite or follow if you have the time. I love feedback!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! Winter break has really given me a chance to continue writing. Sorry if the wait was too long for you but I'm an author who has a hard time updating consistently. So here it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Looks like a lot of people forgot things at home," Bronwyn observed at breakfast as owls carrying packages flooded the halls.

"You're no exception," Fiona smiled over her teacup as a large owl landed in front of her friend. Bronwyn unwrapped the package to find her quidditch gloves.

"Glad your mum sent you those?" Claudia asked.

"Very," Bronwyn sighed happily. "I'm so excited for this year's quidditch."

"Will you win the house cup for Hufflepuff this year?" Imogen, who had just joined them at the table, asked.

"Absolutely," Bronwyn grinned.

Imogen held up four pieces of parchment. "I got our timetables." The girls eagerly grabbed their designated schedules, comparing them.

"Yes! Professor Sprout accepted me into Advanced Herbology!" Fiona exclaimed happily.

Claudia scoffed as she looked Fiona's shoulder. "She'd be crazy not to. You're her favorite, after all." She squinted at the schedule, as if not believing it. "Jesus, Fi. Advanced potions, Advanced Divination, Ancient Runes, you're keeping busy, girlie."

"Yeah," Imogen sighed happily. "I'm not taking a single advanced class and I'm relying on a stress free year."

"That means we won't have any classes together," Fiona stuck her bottom lip out.

"That's okay. I'll have Claudia." Imogen shrugged.

Emma bid her dorm friends goodbye before dropping into the seat next to Jacob. She gave him a big smile and began buttering her toast. "Good morning Jacob."

Jacob smiled and greeted her. Hugh looked at the two of them suspiciously as he absent mindedly ate his eggs. He looked to his left to see his other friends grinning cheekily at him. _Third wheel_ , Ian mouthed. Hugh's eyes widened.

"Problem, Apiston?" Emma raised an eyebrow. Hugh quickly shook his head and shoveled an enormous spoonful of eggs into his mouth to keep from talking.

McGonagall walked up to them and handed Emma her timetable. "Hello Ms. Bloom," she said with a small smile. She turned to Jacob and Hugh and her smile became taught. "Apiston, Portman." She slapped their schedules down on the table and moved on to their friends.

Jacob and Hugh looked at each other. "Fireworks," they said simultaneously.

Emma laughed. "She's still mad about that? It was last year."

"It's not our fault. We just wanted to celebrate." Jacob shrugged.

"And how were we to know that her office door was open?" Hugh asked innocently.

Emma shook her head. "My friends are crazy." She studied her schedule. "Either of you have Advanced Potions first?"

"I do." Hugh waved his spoon.

"I don't." Jacob said sourly, looking over Emma's shoulder. "But we have Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms together."

Emma smiled at him before checking her watch. "Time to go, Hugh."

"Okay. Bye Jake." Hugh bid the rest of his friends goodbye then grabbed his bag and left with Emma.

"I heard about your letters with Jake this summer," Hugh said cheekily once the pair had exited the Great Hall.

Emma bit her tongue. "If our parents weren't friends-"

"And if we weren't neighbors."

"-I'd make you wish you didn't say that." Emma flicked his ear. "Did Jacob tell you that then?"

Hugh nodded. "He didn't say much though."

Emma tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'm going to tell you something that only Julia and my friends know. Do not repeat this to anyone."

Hugh nodded excitedly and leaned forward.

Emma also leaned in and...pulled the collar of his robes over his head.

"Not cool, Emma," Hugh's voice was muffled. He pulled the fabric away from his face and scowled. His hair was mussed up.

Emma chuckled as she pulled on the strap of her bag. "We may have known each other since we were born, Apiston, but you don't get to know everything."

"Well said, Bloom," Hugh mused.

They entered the classroom in the dungeons and was met with a cold stare from Snape. Ever since Jacob and Hugh's potion blew up in second year, Snap hated the Gryffindor friends. That was also the reason why Jacob wasn't in Advanced Potions with them.

"Old grudges never die, I guess," Hugh muttered to Emma when they had passed the professor. "I don't want to be in this class, this bites."

At that moment, Fiona and a Hufflepuff boy walked in together, talking and laughing with each other. Fiona tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she looked around the room and smiled at Emma and Hugh.

"Do you take that back?" Emma asked with raised eyebrows. Hugh nodded quickly. Emma grinned. "Then let's go."

"What are you-" Emma grabbed Hugh's arm and dragged him over to the Hufflepuffs.

"N-no!" Hugh hissed at Emma. "I can't talk to her."

"Fine," Emma rolled her eyes. "You can talk to Maguire, then."

Emma greeted the Hufflepuff boy, who was Head Boy, and quickly started to chat with Fiona. Hugh shot Emma a glare.

"How goes it, Apiston?" Trey Maguire clapped Hugh on the shoulder with a large hand. Hugh winced and gave the Head Boy a tight smile.

"Not too bad. Quidditch tryouts soon for Hufflepuff?" Hugh asked politely, desperately wishing he was talking with the girls.

Trey stretched his large arms and cracked his neck. "Yeah. Donalds is holding tryouts in a couple weeks but I've been practicing all summer. Beaters gotta stay strong, eh? We're gonna beat you this year, without a doubt. Too bad Sumner graduated, she was a good Gryffindor captain, eh?"

Hugh clenched his jaw. "Yeah. But I'm confident that this year I'll pull together a great team."

Trey laughed. "You're captain?"

"Anything funny about that?"

"Whoa," the Hufflepuff held up his hands. "Didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, no offense taken." Hugh said sarcastically.

"Good." Trey laughed. "Score any chicks over the summer?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

Hugh looked over at Fiona. "No."

Trey began to list off all the girls he met over the summer while Hugh pretended to listen until the class started.

"Students," Snape's dull voice greeted the class. "Go find your seats."

Hugh beckoned for Emma and excused himself from Trey Maguire's presence as quickly as he could. "How the hell did he become Head Boy?" He asked while glaring at Trey who sat down the table from them. Said Hufflepuff was laughing and charming Fiona. Hugh bit his tongue.

Emma shrugged. "No clue. Trust me, you aren't the only one confused by that decision."

"Blimey, he's a real fun guy to be around, isn't he?" Hugh asked sarcastically. "I _can't wait_ to-"

A pair of hands cloaked in black sleeves slammed onto the Gryffindors' table. "Five points from Gryffindor for not listening and following directions. I _said,_ take out you books and turn to page 16." Snape's lip curled. "I'll have to tell Dumbledore that his Head Girl and Gryffindor Prefect are being disruptive in class. And on the first day, too."

"What a ray of sunshine," Hugh said when Snape had moved back to the front of the room. "Looks like summer hasn't changed him one bit."

* * *

"Remind me why you're in this class?" Millard raised an eyebrow as Horace stared into his crystal ball with gusto. "This is seventh year Divination."

"Auntie Trelawney knows my gift," Horace sniffed. "She had a talk with Dumbledore and here I am. Now tell me, why are _you_ here? Like you said, this is a seventh year class."

Millard smiled. "Dumbledore had a talk with Trelawney."

Two tables to the right of the Ravenclaw pair, Jacob gawked at them. Was he in the right class? He self-consciously looked around the room, relieved to see other seventh years in the stuffy perfumed room.

"Good morning, my dears!" Professor Trelawney glided into the room, making eye contact with all of the students through her thick glasses. Everybody groaned, except for Horace. The fifth year boy laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them attentively. "I want you all to take out your dream journals from the summer and start discussing them with your partner."

Jacob guiltily took out his empty journal and looked towards his partner. Angus shrugged helplessly, holding up his also-empty book.

"Um, I dreamed about a hippogriff last night?" Jacob supplied.

"Last night I dreamed about a bird. The bird was flying around the Hogwarts grounds. It flew into the school and became a woman. She then walked down a corridor and entered a secret room. Of course, this all makes sense, seeing as Mercury is aligned with the moon. Then she-" Horace spilled out, using his hands to make wild gestures.

Millard had stopped listening long ago. The only reason he was in the seventh year Divination class as a sixth year was because his parents had him taking all advanced classes. Professor Trelawney had stopped by their table to listen dutifully to Horace. She nodded proudly as her nephew continued to discuss his dream in detail.

"The two of you were smart for dropping Divination this year," Jacob let out a heavy breath after class had ended when he had found Emma and Hugh. The three Gryffindors walked across the grounds. "Trelawney is even nuttier this year."

Emma sniffed him and scrunched up her nose. "You smell like an old lady's house."

Hugh waggled his finger. "Ah ah, my dear. That is jasmine and patchouli you are smelling. The scent is good for helping you expose your dreams and gaze into the-" Hugh said in a mystical voice until a laughing Jacob elbowed him.

"Exactly why I didn't take that class this year." Emma shrugged. "I already have homework in Ancient Runes, Charms and Potions. I would kill myself if I had to write a bloody essay about the stars, too."

Jacob groaned. "Don't remind me."

Some seventh year Gryffindor girls waved at Emma who waved back. "Excuse me. I'll meet you two at lunch in five minutes." Emma clutched her bag and ran to join her friends.

"Ready for quidditch this year?" Jacob bumped Hugh's shoulder as they walked into the Great Hall. They dodged a couple of giggling Ravenclaw second year girls and sat at their table.

Hugh smiled. "Absolutely. Can I still rely on you as one of my chasers this year?"

"You can count on me. When are tryouts?"

"I'm thinking next week." Hugh grabbed a slice of bread and began buttering it.

"So soon?"

Hugh glared over at Trey Maguire. "I want a strong team as soon as possible. We need to start training as soon as possible in order to get ahead of the other houses."

"Aye aye, sir." Jacob saluted him goofily.

"Think you can convince Bloom to get on a broom this year?" Hugh asked. Emma was truly a brilliant quidditch player but refused to join the team every year.

"Nah." Jacob ladled some soup into a bowl. "She won't join, trust me. Says she has too much stuff going on, being Head Girl and whatnot."

"Pity," Hugh sighed.

* * *

"Hello children," Professor Peregrine smiled at the seventh years. An enchanted piece of chalk began to write on the chalkboard behind her. "My name is Alma Peregrine and I'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the rest of the year. I was a student at Hogwarts myself a couple years back," she winked at the Ravenclaws. "I'm excited to return and start teaching."

"How long do you think she'll last?" Jacob mumbled to Hugh.

"Please put away your textbooks and don't bring them to class for the rest of the year." The students looked around in confusion as the heavy textbooks were shoved into book bags. "I don't believe you'll learn how to defend yourself from dark magic by reading a book written years ago." Professor Peregrine lifted her wand. "The only things you need are your wand, your mind and the loyalty of others."

"You know what? I give her two years." Hugh grinned. "I like her."

"I give her three," Emma leaned over to whisper to them.

"I hope that you will learn how to defend yourself and others throughout the year." Miss Peregrine continued. "You are all seventh year students and you need to be prepared for the real world. Hogwarts can't shelter you forever."

Jacob was impressed with this new teacher and her brutal honesty. By the looks of it, so were his friends.

Professor Peregrine leaned on her desk. "Now, children, I'm sure that you're aware of the current events. The Wizarding World is a dangerous place right now. There are dangerous people doing dangerous things. Voldemort's supporters are growing strong. With-"

The teacher was cut off by gasps and voices of the students. Nervous chatter broke out.

"That's a tabooed name," a Ravenclaw boy called out.

"I can't believe she said that," a girl behind Jacob whispered to her friend.

"Children. Children!" Professor Peregrine lifted her wand, producing a loud noise from it. The class went silent. She gave a little huff. "In this class, you are going to learn how to use that name and not be afraid. If you can be brave and defend yourself then there should be no fear. Understand?"

"Why do you call us children?" Ian asked from his seat beside Angus. "If you think we're ready to defend ourselves then why are we considered children?"

Professor Peregrine tilted her head and folded her hands. "Are you of age, Mr. Pemberton?" Ian shook his head. "No? Then you're still a child. Don't underestimate the word "child." Children change the world. They have the courage and ambition that many adults lack." She shook a finger at the room. "You should all be glad that you're still considered children. Does that answer your question, Mr. Pemberton?" Ian nodded doubtfully.

Professor Peregrine smiled pleasantly once more. "Good. Now, who has ever been in a real duel before?"

A few people raised their hands.

The professor's eyes lit up. "Wonderful! What did you fight about?"

* * *

"Hello Hagrid," Bronwyn said with a smile. She and Fiona had just arrived to Care of Magical Creatures and the first thing she wanted to do was greet her favorite teacher.

"Hello Bronwyn!" Hagrid looked tired but smiled nevertheless at the Hufflepuff girls.

"Did you have a good summer?"

Hagrid's smile faltered. "No, actually. Snape was in charge for a while. Almost got me job taken away by him."

Fiona frowned. "How awful. Why was Professor Snape in charge?"

"Dumbledore had lots of business to deal with. He left Snape in charge while he was gone."

"What kind of business?" Bronwyn asked.

Hagrid looked around to make sure the rest of his students were busy. He leaned closer to the two girls. "Ye girls need to realize that we're livin' in a dangerous time. Dumbledore is doing everythin' he can ter keep Hogwarts safe for the students. I've told 'im before that Snape can't be trusted, but he seems to think Snape is on our side." Hagrid sighed and pushed back his curly mane of hair. "I jus' don't know."

"Professor Hagrid?" A student raised their hand. Hagrid excused himself and joined the rest of the class to answer the question. Fiona and Bronwyn followed him, his words never leaving them.

* * *

 **Another chapter done! A couple notes...**

 **1\. The younger kids weren't in this chapter very much, I know, but they might have a chapter to themselves next time. While all the kids are in this story, I will say that I'll be focusing more on the older ones**

 **2\. Even though Harry isn't in this story, Voldemort and the Death Eaters will be**

 **3\. Bear with me! The real action and plot is coming in future chapters, these are mainly filler chapters**

 **4\. Yes, Millard is taking mainly 7th year classes as a 6th year. What else can you expect from him?**

 **5\. Yes, Horace is taking 7th year Divination as a 5th year. What else can you expect from him?**

 **That's pretty much all I have to say. Leave a review, follow, favorite or PM if you like what you're reading, I love getting feedback!**

 **Happy holidays! See you next chapter**


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